CANADA: More Senior Workers Now Looking For Full-time Work

TORONTO, Canada (RetiredWorker.com), November 22, 2007: Results of the fourth annual survey of older workers just released "indicate a continuing shift in work trends for the 50+ group," says Sarah Welstead, Managing Director and co-founder of Retired Worker, who conducted the survey. "In 2006, just over 11% of respondents said they were looking for permanent, full-time employment. This year, that percentage increased to more than 35%." Welstead attributes the shift to a change in perception by both older job-seekers and society. "Less than 20% say they have to work for financial reasons, so we're seeing an increase in the number of older workers who return to the workforce after retirement simply because they want to," she notes. "At the same time, the increasing acceptance of older workers in the workplace, and media emphasis on 'hip baby-boomers' rather than 'senior citizens' means that 50+ job-seekers feel like they have more options - and one of them is returning to the workforce on a full-time basis." Survey results also reveal that this group continues to be more 'high-tech' than people think, says Welstead. "More than 80% have high-speed internet access, 88% have their own computer, and 5% have Blackberries. What's most significant to us is that more than 65% say they spend more than 5 hours per week on the internet - so the notion of people over 50 not being 'tech-savvy' is more of a myth than ever." Survey details - Survey was conducted online through the RetiredWorker.ca website between October 11-26, 2007 - There were 1849 respondents - Respondents were 59% male, 41% female - 64% of respondents were aged 50-64 years old For more information, visit www.retiredworker.ca